Head of the Class
Bauer College Welcomes New Tenure and Non-Tenure Track Faculty Experts in Finance, Public Health and Marketing

Bauer College has added an impressive roster of faculty to its ranks. Six new tenure track professors joined the college in Fall 2023, bringing earned expertise in critical areas of scholarly inquiry ranging from climate finance, to technological innovations, shareholder activism and financial markets.
“At Bauer, our world-class faculty help our students gain knowledge and shape the business world of tomorrow,” Dean Paul A. Pavlou said. “These new additions to our faculty allow us to continue that mission of offering leading-edge education founded on research and grounded in the real world.”
Learn more about each new faculty member below.
Tenure-Track Faculty
Mehdi Farahani
Assistant Professor
Department of Decision & Information Sciences
- Earned Ph.D. from University of Texas at Dallas
- Taught previously at Miami Herbert Business School at University of Miami
- Research focus includes socially responsible operations, service operations management and supply chain contracting
Leila Hosseini
Assistant Professor
Department of Decision & Information Sciences
- Earned Ph.D. from University of Texas at Dallas
- Taught previously at Temple University
- Research themes include identifying managerial and operational solutions to improve efficiency in technology markets, particularly cloud computing, artificial intelligence, and real-time digital advertising.
Byung Lee
Assistant Professor
Department of Marketing & Entrepreneurship
- Earned Ph.D. from Columbia University
- Was a UH Doctoral Symposium Fellow in 2023
- Research explores consumer response to recommendations from technology or social others.
Mehdi Farahani, Assistant Professor, Department of Decision & Information Sciences
Mehdi Farahani, Assistant Professor, Department of Decision & Information Sciences
Leila Hosseini, Assistant Professor, Department of Decision & Information Sciences
Leila Hosseini, Assistant Professor, Department of Decision & Information Sciences
Byung Lee, Assistant Professor, Department of Marketing & Entrepreneurship
Byung Lee, Assistant Professor, Department of Marketing & Entrepreneurship
Haaris Mateen, Assistant Professor, Department of Finance
Haaris Mateen, Assistant Professor, Department of Finance
Paolina C. Medina, Assistant Professor, Department of Finance
Paolina C. Medina, Assistant Professor, Department of Finance
Steve Sauerwald, Professor, Department of Management & Leadership
Steve Sauerwald, Professor, Department of Management & Leadership
Haaris Mateen
Assistant Professor
Department of Finance
- Earned Ph.D. from Columbia University
- Also earned an MBA from Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad
- Research concerns climate economics, public finance and financial economics.
Paolina C. Medina
Assistant Professor
Department of Finance
- Earned Ph.D. from Northwestern University
- Taught previously at Texas A&M University
- Research is in the field of household finance, with a focus on how psychological biases in consumer behavior affect outcomes in financial markets.
Steve Sauerwald
Professor
Department of Management & Leadership
- Earned Ph.D. from University of Texas at Dallas
- Previously taught at University of Illinois at Chicago
- Research interests include corporate governance, shareholder activism, strategic leadership, CSR, and sustainability.
Non-Tenure Track Faculty
Margarita Barcenas
Adjunct Faculty
Department of Finance
- Earned MBA from Bauer College and MS from University of Arkansas
- Works as a Certified Financial Planner® (CFP) with Frontier Investment Management
- Member of the Bauer Alumni Association Board for 10 years, serving as President and receiving a UH Distinguished Alumni Award in 2016.
Bonnie Buffaloe
Adjunct Faculty
Department of Marketing & Entrepreneurship
- Earned MS from Bauer College and certificates in Digital Marketing Management and Marketing Analysis
- Works as Communications Manager at the University of Houston Law Center
- Experience includes conducting social media audits and advertising campaigns, as well as overseeing media engagement at leading global law firms
Matthew Caire
Adjunct Faculty
Department of Finance
- Earned MS from Tulane University
- Works as a portfolio manager for Vaughan Nelson
- Previously worked as a Senior Vice President at Houston Trust Company
Margarita Barcenas, Adjunct Faculty, Department of Finance
Margarita Barcenas, Adjunct Faculty, Department of Finance
Bonnie Buffaloe, Adjunct Faculty, Department of Marketing & Entrepreneurship
Bonnie Buffaloe, Adjunct Faculty, Department of Marketing & Entrepreneurship
Matthew Caire, Adjunct Faculty, Department of Finance
Matthew Caire, Adjunct Faculty, Department of Finance
Vanessa Fellers, Adjunct Faculty, Department of Finance
Vanessa Fellers, Adjunct Faculty, Department of Finance
Yonghui "Lay" Huang, Adjunct Faculty, Department of Finance
Yonghui "Lay" Huang, Adjunct Faculty, Department of Finance
Michael Kraten, Director of Accounting Program Initiatives, Instructional Assistant Professor, Department of Accountancy & Taxation
Michael Kraten, Director of Accounting Program Initiatives, Instructional Assistant Professor, Department of Accountancy & Taxation
Vanessa Fellers
Adjunct Faculty
Department of Finance
- Earned MS from University of Michigan
- Works as the Firm Operations Manager at Mosaic
- Is a Certified Financial Planner® with more than 15 years of professional experience in education and financial services.
Yonghui “Lay” Huang
Adjunct Faculty
Department of Finance
- Earned BA from Bauer College
- Works as a Certified Financial Planner®, Enrolled Agent, and Wealth Advisor with Corient
Michael Kraten
Director of Accounting Program Initiatives
Instructional Assistant Professor
Department of Accountancy & Taxation
- Earned Ph.D. from University of Connecticut and MS from Yale University
- Previously taught at Houston Christian University
- A CPA, he is a board member of TXCPA Houston and a Leadership Council member of TXCPA
Miguel Lozano
Adjunct Faculty
Department of Management & Leadership
- Earned Ph.D. from UT School of Public Health in Houston
- Works as a Change Management Consultant and Executive Coach at the University of Texas (UT) M.D. Anderson Cancer Center
- Also teaches as an adjunct professor at UT School of Public Health and UH-Downtown MBA program
Deborah Stavis
Adjunct Faculty
Department of Finance
- Founded the private wealth management firm, Stavis and Cohen Private Wealth, with Eddie Cohen in 2009
- Works as a Certified Financial Planner® with more than 35 years of professional experience
- Is a founding member of the Barbara Bush Foundation Ladies for Literacy Guild and a member of the Women’s Energy Network, Houston.
Priscilla Zhu
Professor of Practice
Department of Accountancy & Taxation
- Earned DBA from Walden University and MBA from City University of New York
- Also teaches as an adjunct professor at Houston Christian University and a lecturer at Prairie View A&M University
- Research interests include applied digital technologies for accounting practice, business education, corporate governance and international tax.
Miguel Lozano, Adjunct Faculty, Department of Management & Leadership
Miguel Lozano, Adjunct Faculty, Department of Management & Leadership
Deborah Stavis, Adjunct Faculty, Department of Finance
Deborah Stavis, Adjunct Faculty, Department of Finance
Priscilla Zhu, Professor of Practice, Department of Accountancy & Taxation
Priscilla Zhu, Professor of Practice, Department of Accountancy & Taxation